Process of growing sweet potatoes and other tubers.



PATENTED APR. 9, w07

' V G. HITZ. PROCESS OF GROWING SWEET POTATOES AND OTHER TUBERS.

NVENTOR. n

. l Ham-3e H1172. BY

ATTORNEY.

Unire sra'ras earner einen yerronea arri,

Ol? IlIDANi/XPOLIS, INLDANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented aprite, 1907.

Application led December 6,1906. Serial No. 346,652.

Be it known that I, GEORGE HITZ, ol' lndianapolis, county of lllarion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Process yel Growing Sweet Potatoes and other Tubers; and I do hereby declare that the' following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accoinpanyinpl drawings, in which like letters refer to likerparts.

The object of this invention is to grow sweet potatoes and other tuhers in a manner that will, first, greatl) incre ise their yield.; second, improve the quality: tl rd, obtain a rich and uniform color; fourth, render the tuhers smooth, elean and of unilf'orin size, and, lil'th, enhance their keeping qualities.

'hilc the inethovd ol rowinioT sweet potatoes is shown and described herein, still i do not wish the invention to he limited to swef-it potatoes, as the principle is applica hle to the raising ol other luhers, such as irish peta toes7 peanuts, andthe like` The nature olvl the invention will he understood from the eccoinpai'iying drawing and the following description and claims.

l`he drawing is a vertical `section through soil prepared `for growing sweet potatoes with one hill olfsweet potatoes shown in Vertical section. f

` In carrying out the process specilieally ior growing sweet potatoes, as'l. have heretofore done, l take a piece ol' ground. havingjr a rich black loani soil and that is unplowcd or rca sonahly hard and harro f it hoth waysJ so that'. it'will he loosened up on the surface for about two inches deep. it need not he plowed up or treated otherwise t han sera? ehod on the surface hy a harrow or like implenient. Uponfthisl deposit and distribute yellow sand to a depth ol` about ten inches.

y, It need not he absolutely pure sand, hut may he mixed slightly ,with soil or loam. "lhe surface oll thesand is prel'erahi;v left levely and in it the sweet-potato plants are planted.

No further treatment ol' the soil or sand is necessary in `growingr a crop ol' swecA potatoes7 nor is any further treat nient ol the sand or soil necessary in Afrowinpr crops in suhsequent )fein-sj A union is ell'eeted/ hetween the scratched surface ol' the hard soil and the sand. No further treatment. ol` the hard soil iicccssnry, because that union will he inaintained hy the superimposed sand. lll in suhsequcnt years the surface ol the sand becomes hardened somewhat or weedy, it

as described the roots will grow down through Vshould he treated to avoid these dilieulties'.'l

the sand until they strike the hard ground or i soil. and there the potatoes will he formed in the sand immediately above the hard soil. The hardness ol the soil prevents their formation in it butI the scratched surt'aeeof the soi end` of the forming; potatoes to enter the soil nd `ain noiuishnient from it. The result will he that all il the potatoes will be formed in. the santi just ahove the hard soil, and they will all spread and develop at the saine place- Iinst above the hard soiland therefore they turn out to he substantially of the same size, as Ythey are all grown under substantially the saine condition. The)Y do not grow overlarge, because some cannot fret more nourishnient than others or sonic torni in the black soil more than others; nor will there he any too sinallJ as they will all gain substantially the saine nourishment and expand in substantially the saine quality o'r' sand. Experience has shown that potatoes oi' uniform size are thus produced, and that renders theni Very dcsirahle for marketing purposes as wrialions in the sizes ol potatoes requires sorting and otherwise causes trouhle for the commission. merchant.

Another result is that the potatoes will all have a surface that is smooth and clean and of a rich golden yellow, as they forni in loose sand ol' a yellow color. These fpialities coutrihnte greatly to the salahilit)` o? the potatoes. l have also 'l'ound that it enhances the keeping quality of the potato as compared with potatoes grown in the usual ways and that the potato is oi" a superior qualit;Y in. texture and character, it heilig dry and sweetI because it is grown in dry sand and gets nourishment -l'roin the sulisoil; hut the greatest advantage arisin V 'from my process is the increase in `Yield, as l`roin my experience the `yield of polatocs Igrown in the manuel' herein' set l'orh is very unich greater than when grown in the ordinary manner. This is hecause everything is iavorahle lo the po-l tato and hei-anse ol ldie peculiar conihination of the sand and suhsoil.

vhile iV have above given the details ol' the manner ol" raising sweet potatoes as i have permits the roots and the iibers at the IOO 6o After 'the potato-plants have been plantedy 1 1n the manner described in ground prepared f carried ont my invention, still I do not Wish to be limited to some of the details. It is not necessary that the soil should be rich black loam, :is any soil which will nourish potatoes will do, although rich blzwkloain will be best; nor do I wish to be liinited to yellow smid. The color of the send should be preferably the sanne as the desired eolor of the tnber. For instance', in growing Irish potatoes or peanuts :i white send would be preferable.

What I claini as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The 'process of growing sweet potatoes and other tubers, whichprocess consists in first selecting e. h znd unplowed soil; second, covering it with send7 and third, planting the tubers in the upper part or sand, whereby the roots of the tubers will penetra-te the soil and the tubers will form in the sand and a little above the subsoil.

2. The process of growing sweet potatoes and other tubers, which process consists irst in taking herd ground end loosening up the surface thereof by a harrow or the like implepleinent, so the loosened ground will be Very shallow with a hard bottoni covering the sanne with sund to the desired depth whereby e. union will be eil'ected between the soil and the sand, and third, planting tubers in the upper part of the sand whereby the roots will penetrate the loosened surfaces of the soil :ind the tubers form in the sand iinniediaitely above the subsoil.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

GEORGE HITZ,

Vitnesses:

N. ALLEMONG, H. B. MCC/ORD. 

